Neimoidian Gunnery Battalion

For other uses, see Gunnery and Royal Guard.

"'What happened?'"
"Some kind of weapons malfunction, from the looks of it, sir!"

―A Neimoidian councilor and a Neimoidian guard^[1]

The Neimoidian Gunnery Battalion, also known as the Royal Guard, was a Separatist military unit created by the Separatist Council of the Confederacy of Independent Systems to provide important officials with sentient guards when it was too risky to use droids that were vulnerable to centralized deactivation.^[2]

Description

The Neimoidian Gunnery Battalion,^[3] which in fact was composed of multiple battalions identified by the same name,^[4] was a military force comprised of Neimoidian warriors who wore distinctive bronze-colored plastoid armor that mimicked an ancient beetle-knight design from a pre-industrial era. Most members carry ceremonial blaster rifles which loosely resemble the shape of ancient black powder-based weaponry.^[5] The snipers wore the same armor as that of the warriors, but the uniform was a bottle-green.^[2] Commanders' armor and battle staves were silver and bore the symbol of the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) after its formation, with the staves being mass-produced for commanders during the Clone Wars.^[6] They were also known to wield Weequay blaster pistols on board Trade Federation vessels. Aboard Sib Canay's Lucrehulk battleship the guards wore silver-colored armor that differed from standard guard armor.^[7]

Most members of the battalion were recruited from the lower levels of Neimoidian society, primarily criminals and mercenaries, who were offered amnesty or commuted sentences in exchange for protecting the Neimoidian delegation from would-be assassins.^[2] Others were raised from grubhood to be above bribery, making them strangely noble and selfless for Neimoidians.^[5]

The most cruel and violent members of the Neimoidian guards are genetically modified against their will through the brute program to become larger, more furious, and unstable combatants. They are prone to berserker-like outbursts and violent incidents against their fellow guards. Armed with a vibro mace, the brute guards are usually kept in stasis and only used in the most critical situations.^[2]

Neimoidian sharpshooters receive specialized training focused on long-range combat and precision marksmanship. They have gained a reputation as some of the Confederacy’s most accurate and lethal shooters. Equipped with long rifles, these marksmen excel at engaging targets from a distance. Working alongside various guard units, these snipers often wait silently for days to take their shot. When they finally acquire their target, their strike is swift and deadly. Positioned in hard-to-reach locations, Neimoidian snipers maintain a significant tactical advantage. Their elevated or remote placements prevent enemies from closing in.^[2]

History

Organic forces

"The ion storms of Moorja have prevented the deployment of our standard battle-droid forces, but Neimoidian Gunnery Battalions, Gossam Commandos and Koorivar Fusiliers have consolidated to provide Moorja with cost-effective protective forces."

―Commerce Guild Presidente Shu Mai, regarding the deployment of the Gunnery Battalion to Moorja^[4]

The Neimoidian Gunnery Battalions were amongst the ranks of the Moorja defense force.

During the Clone Wars, the Neimoidian Gunnery Battalion was deployed to the Mid-Rim planet Moorja, located down the Corellian Trade Spine from Yag'Dhul. According to Commerce Guild President Shu Mai, ion storms on Moorja had prevented the use of standard battle droids. As a result, Neimoidian Gunnery Battalions, along with other organic forces, were consolidated to provide protection for the planet. Shu Mai described this approach as more affordable than refitting droid forces with ionic-damping technologies. She also noted that Moorja’s local agrarian yields could be used to feed the deployed forces. The use of organic troops, she explained, was part of a broader strategy to protect a vulnerable back door to the recently conquered section of the Corellian Trade Spine.^[4]

Around 21 BBY,^[8] several members of the Gunnery Battalion were stationed on board the Trade Federation's command ship during the blockade of Pantora. A Riyo Chuchi and a disguised Ahsoka Tano Land inside the Sib Canay's Lucrehulk battleship two Neimoidians Guarded the Hangar door. While sneaking through the ship, both women encountered a Neimoidian Guard monitoring a computer terminal. To avoid detection, Ahsoka used the Force on a nearby container to distract the guard, allowing both of them to slip past unnoticed. A Neimoidian Guard was stationed outside the detention block of Sib Caney's ship, informing others that the area was closed to visitors and ordering them to move along.^[7]

A Neimoidian guard was deceived by the Jedi Ahsoka Tano using a mind trick during the Pantora crisis.

When Tano approached, he initially denied entry, but, after she used a Jedi mind trick and told him to let her pass, he complied. As Ahsoka proceeded, the guard returned to position, blocking Chuchi from following. This prompted Chuchi to call out to Ahsoka, who then repeated the mind trick, instructing the guard to let them both pass. The guard hesitated briefly, then obeyed and allowed them through. When captain Sib Canay was pinned at the wall by Ahsoka Tano's Lightsaber, the guards stormed in the detention block followed by the Federation's envoy.^[7]

End of the war

Around 20 BBY,^[9] shortly after a raid on a separatist factory, several Neimoidian soldiers at an Seperatist Base escorted a B1 battle droid tasked with delivering plans for a new battle droid model. When the B1 overheard that the new design was intended to replace its series, it went rogue and fired on the control panel holding the plans, destroying them. Suspecting sabotage, Count Dooku ordered the Neimoidian soldiers to inspect the it’s blaster rifle for signs of a weapons malfunction but they found nothing wrong. Believing the droid had acted on its own, Dooku commanded the soldiers to destroy it. The two Neimoidians complied, opening fire and terminating the B1.^[1]

Two members of the battalion were taken as prisoners by Imperial personnel for suspected Separatist loyalities.

In 19 BBY,^[10] four Neimoidian guards were stationed in the antechamber outside Nute Gunray's suite to protect him and Rune Haako from General Grievous. When Grievous arrived accompanied by his elite MagnaGuards, the droids raised their electrostaffs and, with swift and precise strikes, swept the Neimoidian guards off their feet, effectively neutralizing them.^[11]

The Neimoidian bodyguards of the Separatist Council were also part of the Neimoidian Gunnery Battalion, being selected from seasoned officers such as Captain Gap Nox,^[12] who had become one of Gunray's bodyguards after the Battle of Moorja,^[3] and Lieutenant Fame Drimal,^[12] who had previously been stationed near^[3] the Separatist-aligned^[13] planet^[14] Plagen^[3] in the Expansion Region.^[15] The unit accompanied the Separatist leadership to Mustafar, where two Neimoidian guards stood watch on the landing platform, overseeing a pair of Neimoidian aides who greeted by Darth Sidious's newly appointed apprentice Darth Vader upon his arrival. After Vader executed the aides, the guards attempted to engage him, but one was slain by his lightsaber and the other killed by Force choke.^[16] The remaining bodyguards within the facility were subsequently slaughtered by Vader along with the rest of the Separatist leadership.^[12]^[2] At one point during the ensuing Imperial Era, a duo of Neimoidian guards who were suspected of holding Separatist loyalties were cornered and held at blaster-point by a grouping of Imperial personnel, including orange-marked clone troopers.^[13]